Match each clinical safety incident described below to the correct patient safety error classification.
- A pharmacist intercepts and cancels a newly prescribed antibiotic order after noting the patient's documented severe allergy.Near miss
- A resident physician calculates the incorrect weight-based dosage of a medication and writes the prescription.Active error
- A hospital uses identically shaped and colored vials for two high-risk medications stored in the same bin.Latent error
- A patient undergoes an invasive surgical procedure on the incorrect side of their body, leading to permanent loss of function.Sentinel event
Answer
The intercepted allergy order is a near miss. The incorrect dosage calculation is an active error. The identical medication vials represent a latent error. The wrong-site surgery is a sentinel event.
Each incident maps uniquely to an error classification based on whether the error reached the patient, the severity of the outcome, and whether it was a frontline action versus a system flaw.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Classification of patient safety incidents (active error, latent error, near miss, sentinel event)